SMU gets Honorable Mention for Ten Best NCAA D-1A Football Helmet Designs

[Cheesesteak]

From Mark Risley of College Football News:

The Weekly Top Ten List …

Despite the e-mail abuse this writer received from last week’s ripping of some of the jersey/pant combinations, I was inspired to step back into the ring of fire (we’ll miss you Johnny Cash) with an eye towards the other key ingredient in collegiate attire: the helmet designs/logos. The great thing about critiquing the helmet is the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with fashion, which, based on the popular opinion of the CFN reader base, is a sense I am apparently lacking. That being said, I present to you the Ten Best NCAA D-IA Helmet Designs.

Before we get started, let’s lay the framework for the criteria, which is based primarily on originality, creativity, and symbolic nature.

a) First off, the potential candidates are not allowed to have the school name or nickname as part of its design (Terps, Gators, Illinois, Cal, UCLA, etc. etc. etc.). We all know who you are, so there’s no need to redundantly rub it in our face.

b) Secondly, let’s take it a step further and say that not even the basic initials are allowed for a chance at nomination (Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia, Marshall, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Stanford, Michigan State – sometimes (make up your mind, MSU), Purdue, Rutgers, etc.). Once again, we’re looking for creativity here, not abbreviations.

c) Lastly, the design-less solid-colored helmets (stripes or no stripes) must be thrown out of contention (BC, Navy, Army, Syracuse, Penn St, etc.). And for those that believe that it would be a crime not to consider the golden domes of Notre Dame, you must realize that, while the helmet makes a strong symbolic statement, it struggles in the other two areas. We’re looking for the total package here folks; so one faceless shell can only carry you so far in this competition.

Now that we’ve established the ground rules, let’s take a look at the winning entries…

#10) Clemson – Ahhh, the ol’ Tiger Paw. Others have used/copied the logo, but, since 1970, it goes hand-in-hand with Clemson University. The logo is simple, but very distinctive. Of all the “hundreds” of teams with the Tiger moniker, the simple cat paw design is the most widely recognized. There’s no obnoxious tiger-faced sketch, no crazy striped running aimlessly across the lid, just the Tiger Paw, which puts Clemson in a league by itself.

#9) Arizona State – When you have an original name like “Sun Devils”, the helmet design is forced to carry its weight. And so it does. While the cartoon drawing of the maroon-clad devil with a pitchfork in hand (designed by a Disney artist) may be a little “too cute” for some of us, the helmet design is purely unique to D-IA and detailed enough to cleverly capture the devilish grin of the school’s nickname. Besides (I admit it), the color combination of maroon and gold make quite a nice pair.

#8) Fresno State – It’s not so much the Bulldog logo, which, by itself, is a pretty slick sketch, but rather the partnership with the big green “V” located on the back of the helmet, which gives Fresno a uniqueness shared by no other D-IA school. The design of the “V” is nothing special, but the key is what it represents. Head coach Pat Hill, upon his arrival, not only wanted to pay respects to the residents of Fresno (CA), but he also desired to show his appreciation for the folks in the San Joaquin Valley, which houses a huge portion of Fresno State’s fan base. By adding the “V” to the shell, the helmet design separates itself from all others, as it uniquely (and symbolically) pays homage to its supporters, and not just the university.

#7) Kansas State – With a nickname like “Wildcats” (probably the most widely used nickname among America’s grade schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges), it’s hard to set yourself apart from the pack (pun intended). However, the “Powercat” logo has done just that. The superbly designed logo, which was created by a Manhattan (KS) native along with the help of our readers’ favorite head coach, Bill Snyder, symbolizes the new life breathed into the program upon Snyder’s arrival in 1989. The creation of the logo has taken KSU a long way from the mundane designs of years past, when the program was one of the bottom-feeders in D-IA football.

#6) Texas – There’s nothing fancy about this design, but, then again, there’s nothing that better embodies the state of Texas football (hold your comments, Aggies, Bears, Mustangs, Cougars, Horned Frogs & Red Raiders). The UT helmet was formerly graced with a stripe down the middle, but, symbolically, that just didn’t seem right, as any native Texas will tell you that Texans share a stage with no one. The Longhorn logo just seemed to fit better all by its lonestar lonesome, against a solid white shell. The design is simple, and the logo commands respect. At least, that’s how one man sees it.

#5) Florida State – The positive evolution of the school’s helmet design is rivaled only by the strides made on the field when Bobby Bowden took command of the program in 1976. From the blandness of the word “STATE” across the side of the helmet to the sleek looking arrowhead spear, this design compliments the Seminole tradition that has been established during the Bowden Era. Sure, the NFL’s Washington Redskins may have started it all, but the spear seems to stick better in the Tallahassee sod.

#4) Iowa – Maybe it’s the powerful color scheme (gold on black), or the thick yellow bar running down the middle, but that Hawkeye logo is one of the neatest symbols in all of D-IA. With all the classification of bird logos out there, the Iowa one is far and away the most unique (with special props to the new secondary logo of Southern Miss.). It’s not easy to make a hawk/eagle logo look intimidating without going to painstaking detail, but the Hawkeye logo comes through. It uses four separate simple shapes, all slightly separated from one another, to design a fierce hawk head, of which a perceived complexity exists. As a side note, it wouldn’t hurt to bring back the “old school” ANF logo. America still Needs Farmers, ya know.

#3) Ohio State – What other helmet design evolves so much as the season progresses? Sure, Georgia has the dawg bones and Florida State has the tomahawk add-ons, but the mini Buckeye decals, which are awarded to each player based on his performance on the field, has uniqueness about it matched by no other. By the time November rolls around, it’s hard to find two Buckeye helmets that match each other. Were it not for the additions of the Buckeye decals, the Ohio State shell would have been tossed from consideration. But it’s because of those tiny decals, with the dark green buckeye leaves, which gives the helmet an aspect it can call its own.

#2) Washington State – There probably isn’t a more creative design in all of D-IA football. Sure, the initials are incorporated into the logo, but it’s done in such a way that a non-football fan may not even pick up on the subtle beauty of it all. Randall Johnson (Wazzu Class of 1938) gets the credit for this ingenuous design, which has withstood a slight adjustment after Washington State College became Washington State University in 1959 (the “C” was carefully transformed into a “U” without any detraction from its original design). The Wazzu shell also boasts two color schemes (crimson & gray/silver), which gives it an extra punch.

#1) Michigan – Was there any doubt it would be the maize and blue “winged” helmet design at the top of the heap? Although the design was originally created by the Spalding Sporting Goods Company back in the late 1930’s, and first used by Princeton University, former UM head coach “Fritz” Crisler brought it over from the Ivy league and it has been synonymous with Michigan ever since. Not only is there not another design anywhere close to it at the D-IA level, but it unknowingly exudes the intimidating and fe

[SMUguy]

I wonder - was that list made with the author thinking about the old white helmet or the new look?

[MrMustang1965]

It must be a blast to get paid to write this kind of stuff.

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[Vitale]

And you know he's writing this at home, chugging beer while he spouts off. No office time for a guy like this.